Comedian Ryan Reiss Performs at Concordia
Photo by Jenna O’Laughlin
by April Bayer
Stand-up comedian Ryan Reiss entertained Concordia students on Saturday, Feb. 4 with a performance in Weller Auditorium hosted by the Student Activities Council.
Reiss began his career in stand-up comedy while he was a college student at New York University. He continued to learn about comedy and improve his monologues by performing in NYC clubs, where he often faced harsh criticism.
Reiss’s performance at Concordia featured jokes about relationships, the differences between men and women, life in the city and politics. He also spoke directly to audience members and used those conversations as inspiration for more jokes.
Reiss took time following the show to meet, answer questions and take photographs with audience members.
“I thought he had a really fun personality and did a great job engaging the audience,” sophomore Micah Symmank said.
Reiss explained that his job as a writer generally consists of coming up with monologue jokes. The producers of Late Night with Seth Meyers send him several emails each day with current headlines that he uses as inspiration for material.
“You just have to be stupid enough to believe in yourself, and you can honestly do anything,” Reiss said.
Reiss has performed in clubs around New York City, hosted several TV shows and written for NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers. When he is not writing or filming in New York, he travels around the country performing at clubs, colleges, cruises and other venues.
